Chapter 3 is all about launching the Daily 5 and setting up your routines. The sisters have great ideas on how to do this and begin your daily structure.
Here are few guiding questions to think about as you read chapter three:

Why is a gathering place important?

How did your students progess with picking appropriate books? What went well? What had to be changed?

What rituals and routines do you need to teach for this structure to be successful?

(If you are already implementing) How did you adapt the rituals and routines introduced in this chapter to make them successful for your students?

What is one statement that stood out above everything in this chapter?

I am sure we all have a central gathering place where we meet to discuss daily items and routines.

This helps to focus your students and transition them for the next activity. This year I am very happy to have a new carpet to meet on. I received this one from a Donor's Choose project the very last week of school! I can't wait to set it up in our new gathering place this year.

The lesson that the sisters outline for picking just right books is a fun lesson that you can adapt to your class. My class did fairly well this year in their selections, but it did take some practice. After teaching them about how to pick a book I provided my kids with their own book bags that I had already filled with books. It was easier to begin this way. My good readers had no problem finding books they liked and filling up their bags. My lower readers needed lots of practice. They often just grabbed any books, looked through them very quickly and then went and got new ones.

I conferenced with the students who I knew were not choosing correct books and reviewed what we had gone over. I asked them to choose a book from their bag and read it aloud to me. Many of them couldn't and put it back into the bag and said "Oh I need a better book." So I worked with them individually and had them show me what they should do. I provided them with lots of different books and examples of how to find good fit books. My books are labeled by genre, but I also write the AR reading level on the inside of the book. This is helpful for them to take a quick glance and know whether it was an appropriate book or not.

I decided to make this poster to hang up in the reading center this year to remind them how to choose a book. This is an adaptation from the book on page 30. I just made it cuter;) Just click on the picture if you want to grab it from Google Docs.

I really like the idea of the anchor charts to teach kids exactly what they should do for the different parts of the Daily 5﻿. They are sharing their ideas and being validated for what they say. The part that I took from this that was new to me was simply writing down the child's name next to what he or she had said. So simple, but so powerful to my students! Once they saw me write someone's name, hands shot up immediately with all of their ideas!!

This is something I need to implement this year a bit better. I had a verbal signal, but often students did not hear me. The neighboring teacher has a bell for her signal, so I think I need to get myself a chime or something a bit different from her bell so my students won't be confused.

Okay so one thing that really stands out is you have to practice and build stamina each and every day when you launch the program, but you start out with 3 minute intervals. What, 3 minutes?? My kids can do alot more than that...so I thought! We did this and I was shocked we barely made it to two minutes the first day!! The kids who were on task couldn't believe that was it!! What?? They begged me to try it again!! So we reviewed what behaviors we were looking for and that I would stop them the minute someone was off task! I think we made it a few more minutes that day.

I really love the idea of using a chart to show their stamina. There were lots of great examples from last weeks Chapter, but I really love this one from A Differentiated Kindergarten!!

This last section of the chapter is essentially a good reminder that students need time to reflect on their work. Checking in allows for that time to discuss how they are doing and what they may need to work on. I am very guilty of not giving enough time for this. With time constraints it is so hard to fit this in. I know this will be a more difficult aspect of the program for me to implement.

I think the modeling aspect of this program is lots of fun for students. Kids have natural acting abilities and are more than happy to share their expertise on the right and wrong way to model behaviors. I know my students from last year had lots of fun with this one. The sisters go into more detail with this in the next chapter.

Okay, I would love some ideas for a signal besides a bell. What do you use? Chimes, music??

How do you check in with students? Do you do it immediately after each round or do it later in the day? Is it all verbal or do you have them fill anything out? I love to read your comments so feel free to chime in;)

Okay it's your turn. Link up your posts below and don't forget to add a link back to your host.

17 comments

Good morning !!! Sipping my tea, preparing myself for 2 more days with the kids .......today is our Fun Fest, a dancer, storyteller and magician are visiting us today. am sooooo ready for holidays. I was at the teacher's store last night and they had the Daily Five. Your posts have inspired me so I was very excited to scoop it up.

That's great Diane!! I am glad you are inspired:)) I want to go to your funfest!! Yay, for only two more days. I am starting to prep for having to go back in a few weeks!! Have a fantastic day and week:)

Thank you Anne. I like the idea of chimes I am just trying to figure out where to get some:) I was thinking maybe wind chimes, but in my class the wind blows through constantly and my kids would be totally confused, lol!